Archive for the ‘Buckinghamshire’ Category

This is a rare example of a ‘Door to door’ container. It could be carried either on a lorry or on a train carriage. This enabled goods to be conveyed door to door by rail without the need to repack or disturb the contents. They ere often used for household removals. This particular container was built in 1954, one of nearly 10000 built to this design in the 10 years from 1948.

1742 Millom, a light industrial shunter, was built in Leeds in 1946 for the Ministry of Supply. For the next 10 years it operated on government depots in the North of England. In 1957, it was sold to a mining company for use on temporary tracks laid to the open mine faces. These light engines were ideal for such work. It operated until 1968 when it was transferred to the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre, where it is now used for pulling passenger services.

A member of the GWR Castle class, 5080 was originally named Ogmore Castle. It was built at Swindon in 1939 and was allocated to Old Oak Common depot in London. It was responsible for hauling express passenger and goods trains over the GWR network. In 1941, it was transferred to Cardiff and renamed Defiant to commemorate a type of plane which fought in the Battle of Britain. It remained in South Wales for the rest of its service life.

It was withdrawn in 1963 and initially sold for spare parts. However, eventually it was restored and ran in steam for a number of years until its certificate ran out. It is now on static display at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre.

One of the great delights of walking in the woods during the autumn is the variety of Fungi which appear fro just a few short weeks at this time of year. Here are some pictures of different varieties which we saw on a recent walk/

Marlow is an attractive Buckinghamshire town on the banks of the River Thames. It is situated half way between London and Oxford.

History

Marlow is recorded in the Domesday Book as Merlaue.[4]

“The manor of Marlow, which had belonged to the Earls of Mercia, was given by William the Conqueror, to his Queen Matilda. Henry the First, bestowed it on his natural son, Robert de Melhent, afterwards Earl of Gloucester, from whom it passed, with that title, to the Clares and Despencers, and from the latter, by female heirs, to the Beauchamps and Nevilles, Earls of Warwick. It continued in the crown from the time of Richard III’s marriage with Anne Neville, until Queen Mary granted it to William Lord Paget, in whose family it continued more than a century; after which, it passed, by purchase, to Sir Humphrey Winch, in 1670; to Lord Falkland in 1686; to Sir James Etheridge in 1690; to Sir John Guise in 1718; and to Sir William Clayton in 1736. It is now the property of Sir William Clayton bart. a descendant of the last purchaser”.

Marlow owed its importance to its location on the River Thames, where the road from Reading to High Wycombe crosses the river. It had its own market by 1227 (hence the name Chipping Marlow), although the market lapsed before 1600. From 1301 to 1307 the town had its own Member of Parliament, and it returned two members from 1624 to 1867.

(From Wikipaeia)

Photo by Sue

Marlow gained its importance as one of the crossing points on the Thames and the current bridge was designed by William Tierney Clark.

Marlow Bridge

Marlow was also the site of the Royal Military College before it relocated to Sandhurst in 1812.

Marlow and the surrounding area is also famous for it’s river based sports such as rowing and sailing and for the wide selection of good quality dining venues including The Hand & Flowers, the first gastro-pub to hold two Michelin stars.